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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. field — a subject
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. spell — magic
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. last — final
  10. spell — letters
  11. last — finally
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. spell — a short time
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. field — for sport
  18. last — to go on
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. stem — to come from
  21. field — farmland
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. trunk — of an elephant

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com